The Hobbit (Film series)

The Hobbit is a series of three epic fantasy adventure films directed, produced, and adapted to film by Peter Jackson, based on J. R. R. Tolkien's 1937 fantasy novel, The Hobbit. The films are, by subtitle, An Unexpected Journey (2012), The Desolation of Smaug (2013), and The Battle of the Five Armies (2014). Just as Tolkien's three-volume novel, The Lord of the Rings, continues themes and issues introduced in his earlier novel, The Hobbit, Jackson's three Hobbit films together are imagined as a prequel to Jackson's earlier film adaptation of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings novel.

Several actors reprise their roles from The Lord of the Rings, including Ian McKellen, Andy Serkis, Ian Holm, and Hugo Weaving, as well as actors whose characters did not appear in the novel, such as Cate Blanchett, Christopher Lee, Elijah Wood, and Orlando Bloom. Also returning for the production, among others, were co-writers Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, illustrators John Howe and Alan Lee, art director Dan Hennah, cinematographer Andrew Lesnie, and composer Howard Shore. As with the original trilogy, props will generally be crafted by Weta Workshop and visual effects managed by Weta Digital. The most significant new involvement in the series is the participation of Guillermo del Toro, originally chosen to direct the films, as co-writer.

Set in the fictional world of Middle-earth, the three films follow the hobbit Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman), chosen by the wizard Gandalf (McKellen), to accompany thirteen dwarves led by Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) on a quest to reclaim the Lonely Mountain from the dragon Smaug (Benedict Cumberbatch).

The first film in the series premiered at the Embassy Theatre in Wellington, New Zealand on 28 November 2012. Around 100,000 people were expected to line the red carpet on Courtenay Place, and the entire event was broadcast live on television in New Zealand, as well as streaming over the Internet.